11 of the world's most unusual surf spots

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Photos:World's more unusual surf spots

Antarctica – Overcrowding won't ever be a problem here. The first (and as yet, only) known person to surf in Antarctica was Red Bull athlete Ramon Navarro.

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Photos:World's more unusual surf spots

Arabian Sea (Oman) – The Arabian Sea's strong riptides and the odd shark prove even more disturbing when you're the only surfer in the water between Oman and Africa.

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Photos:World's more unusual surf spots

Busua Beach (Ghana) – Ghana's coastline and the Busua Beach area are a muddy, dusty, undiscovered surfers' paradise. "It's one of West Africa's best surfing destinations," says John Callahan, a co-founder of surfEXPLORE.

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Photos:World's more unusual surf spots

Lake Michigan (United States) – American soldiers returning from Hawaii after World War II were the first to surf Lake Michigan, the world's only lake with enough wind to regularly produce surfing conditions.

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Photos:World's more unusual surf spots

Standing wave (Munich) – More than 100 surfers ride this standing wave on the Eisbach River in Munich, every day, but it's not for novices -- the flow rate is about 20 tons per second.

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Photos:World's more unusual surf spots

Skeleton Coast (Namibia) – Namibia's Skeleton Coast is one of the most barren, inaccessible surf spots in the world. The coastline's popularity in recent years has prompted the Namibia Surfing Association to impose restrictions on access points.

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Photos:World's more unusual surf spots

Cox's Bazar (Bangladesh) – In the Islamic country of Bangladesh, male surfers greatly outnumber females, but more girls have recently been hitting the water. In the town of Cox's Bazar, the country's first surf school has been established.

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Photos:World's more unusual surf spots

Habitat 67 (Montreal) – Known as Habitat 67, this wave in Montreal is created by a river-bottom depression. Olympic kayaker Corran Addison is lobbying to create additional such spots throughout Montreal.

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Photos:World's more unusual surf spots

Severn Bore (Gloucestershire, UK) – The Severn Bore in Gloucestershire, UK, is created when rising tides in the Bristol Channel force water up the Severn Estuary, creating waves of up to 2.8 meters. One surfer once rode the wave for five miles.

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Photos:World's more unusual surf spots

Pororoca (Brazil) – Pororoca means "great roar" -- that's exactly what you hear for 30 minutes before this Amazonian tidal bore rolls into view up the Amazon River in Brazil.

Porocora means "great roar" -- exactly what you hear for 30 minutes before this Amazonian tidal bore rolls into view.

The wave has its own competition -- the National Pororoca Surfing Championship -- and appears between March and April, when the strengthened Atlantic Ocean tide rushes into the Amazon Basin.

How to find it: The bore starts at the point where the Amazon River meets the Atlantic Ocean, but it can travel 800 kilometers (497 miles) inland.

The most popular surf spot is the stretch that passes through Sao Domingos do Capim in Para state, which is served by Belem/Val de Cans—Julio Cezar Ribeiro International Airport, 149 kilometers (92 miles) away.

Standing wave (Munich)

Eisbach River: Unintentional man-made wave.

More than 100 surfers ride this standing wave on the Eisbach River every day, but it's not for novices -- the flow rate is about 20 tons per second.

The wave, which reaches a height of two meters, is created by concrete slabs that were placed on the riverbed in the 1970s to weaken the river's flow.

How to find it: The standing wave can be found on the stretch of water that passes through Munich's city center, Englischer Garten (English Garden).

The nearest U-Bahn stop is Hauptbahnhof.

Habitat 67 (Montreal)

In 2002, Olympic kayaker Corran Addison became the first person to the surf St. Lawrence River's standing wave, named after the adjacent housing complex.

Later, he set up a surf school where others could learn to ride the urban wave.

Addison estimates he's taught more than 3,000 students how to surf it.

The wave is created by a river-bottom depression.

Addison is now lobbying to create additional depressions throughout Montreal, with the use of submerged concrete blocks.

How to find it: Habitat 67 -- both the housing complex and the wave named after it -- can be found at Marc-Drouin Quay in the Montreal city center.

In this Islamic country, nonprofit organization Surfing the Nations organized the country's first surf competition in 2005 in the coastal town of Cox's Bazar and local surfer Jafar Alam recently set up the country's first surf school, complete with rental boards donated by professional surfers from around the world.

How to find it: Cox's Bazar is located on the Bay of Bengal in southeastern Bangladesh.

The town has its own airport and is well connected with regular flights from the capital, Dhaka.

Arabian Sea (Oman)

Popular surf spots on this spectacular chunk of coastline include Sur, Ras Al Hadd and Salalah, where Oman's first surf school, Surf School Oman, was set up.

The water is warm year round, although surfers need to be self-sufficient due to a lack of facilities.

There are strong riptides and the odd shark -- elements that prove even more disturbing when you're possibly the only surfer in the water between here and Africa.

How to find it: One of Oman's most popular surf spots, Salalah is a coastal city in the southern province of Dhofar.

The airport serves domestic flights from the capital of Muscat and a small number of flights from neighboring countries.

"Ghana has an almost unique combination of plentiful surf spots, warm water, consistent swell from the south Atlantic and few surfers, making the country one of West Africa's best surfing destinations," says John Callahan, co-founder of surfEXPLORE.

Busua Beach is home to Ghana's only surf shop, Black Star Surf, and the country's only surf school, Mr Brights, which was set up by a British surfer from Cornwall.

How to find it: Busua is a resort on Ghana's western coast. The nearest airport is Takoradi Airport, 37 kilometers (22 miles) away.

Reykjanes (Iceland)

Surfing in Iceland presents various challenges, not least the freezing temperatures.

"The weather here changes rapidly, so it's all about being at the right place at the right time," says Hreinn Eliasson at Arctic Surfers.

"But I just love how spontaneous the surf scene is in Iceland."

One of the most popular areas is the Reykjanes Peninsula -- the waves break over a rough volcanic reef, so wetsuits and foot protection are essential.

How to find it: Easy! Head to the Reykjanes Peninsula in the southwest, just 49 kilometers (31 miles) from the capital, Reykjavik.